Each quarter, we ask our scholarship students for an update: what have they been working on? What challenges have they faced, and what successes have they achieved? We selected a few stories to share with you. Below, you’ll find their updates along with a video link, so you can see and hear them perform.
We would like to thank the private donors, funds and corporate partners whose generous contributions make the scholarship programme possible: Fonds 1999, the Ritsema van Eck Fonds, the Keep an Eye Foundation, the Corendon Foundation and the Revoir Group.
Excellent students 2024-2025
'In February 2025, I completed the recording of two CDs in Alsace, France, for ensembles Contre le Temps and Memor - both medieval music groups based in Basel, Switzerland. These were the second and third CDs I recorded during my degree studies.
The first CD was recorded in September 2024, and I have now completed the first edit. Sample tracks sent to the label Ramée received very positive feedback from its director. This feedback was passed on to me orally, so I don't have the exact wording, but it was something along the lines of: ‘The sound is the exact direction I would have taken it in, and I couldn't have done it better myself’.'
'This is an update of my most recent sound and tactile installation. The installation will premiere during our ArtScience pre-graduation show. You are warmly invited to visit our exhibition, taking place from July 3-8 in Gallery 1 at KABK.'
'As this academic year progresses, I have been fully immersed in the final stages of my master’s thesis. My research has developed significantly: key theoretical frameworks have now been solidified, and much of the written work is nearing completion. The process of articulating my ideas in writing has been both challenging and rewarding, allowing me to deepen my understanding of the core concepts that underpin my artistic practice.
Engaging discussions with mentors and fellow students have been particularly enriching, offering new perspectives that have helped refine my critical thinking.
The support provided by the Excellence Scholarship has been invaluable throughout this journey. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity, which has enabled me to engage with my practice in greater depth.
Below are a couple of recent short clips from my experiments at the Voltage Control Studio in Sonology, which are closely connected to my research project.'
'During this academic year, the intuitions and ideas behind my research have evolved and matured - more than I had anticipated. It took genuine effort to understand what I truly find important to focus on, develop, and share with others. In the constant noise of daily life, instinct can easily become obscured. Creation, learning (music) and composition are processes that requitre time - like growing flowers.I have now begun writing my thesis, which takes the form of collection of letters addressed to other contemporary composers and artists, as well as a few imagined ones— a somewhat Kafkaesque approach. In each letter, I respond to the particular language of the addressee’s work and reflect on my own projections and experiences.
I am currently working on new compositions and planning my graduation concert in June.
Below is documentation of a collaboration with percussionist Christian Smith at Studio Loos. Together, we created a piece entitled high, higher, highest, exploring the lowest fidelity of sound but the highest form of feeling.'
‘My Master graduation is approaching, and I feel both excited and nervous. Recently, I performed the role of the Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen as part of our school opera production. The role’s high tessitura was new to me and challenging at first, but I am proud of the vocal growth I've experienced —I've sung more high B’s in the past two weeks than ever before! It’s been a rewarding experience, and I’m quite astonished by what we accomplished in such a short time.
I am also delighted to share that I have been selected to perform the solo piece I'm creating as part of my master’s project at the Delft Fringe Festival in May. Before that, I will be touring as an ensemble member in Dido & Aeneas with Dutch National Opera. It is a busy period, but I feel grateful for the variety of projects and the support around me.'
Janaçek, The Cunning Little Vixen
with Jasperina Verheij as Fox
About the Excellence scholarship programme at the Royal Conservatoire
Fundraising for the scholarship programme and special projects is coordinated by the Royal Conservatoire Fund (also: Fonds KC). Fonds KC was established in 2024 through the merger of three support foundations: the Fund for Excellence of the Royal Conservatoire, the Instrument Fund of the Royal Conservatoire and the Friends of the Royal Conservatoire.
For the 2024–2025 academic year, Fonds KC has awarded scholarships to students who achieved exceptional results in their entrance examinations for a master’s programme at the Royal Conservatoire.
Scholarship candidates are nominated by the Head of the relevant department based on their (outstanding) entrance examination for the Master’s programme and the quality of their Master (research) plan. Excellence Scholarships are in principle awarded for the full duration of the two-year Master’s programme, subject to the availability of funds.
In addition to the Excellence Scholarships, the Royal Conservatoire is awarding three NL Scholarships this year, made possible by NUFFIC. The same selection criteria—entrance examination and Master plan—apply to both scholarships. For the NL Scholarship, students must also meet the additional requirement of holding a non-EEA nationality and studying in the Netherlands for the first time. The NL Scholarship is awarded for one year; if the student shows satisfactory progress and if funding allows, an Excellence Scholarship is granted for the second year. Both scholarships are equivalent to the applicable tuition fee for the student.
Thanks to the support of Fonds 1999, six students have received additional high-value scholarships: five Fonds 1999 Top Scholarships of €12,000 and one Fonds 1999 Development Scholarship of €15,000. These were awarded to students whose talent and creativity stood out even among an already excellent group.
Finally, two students were awarded a Keep an Eye Talent Award of €10,000 each, distributed over the two years of their Master’s studies.
